Device for roasting or the like



Feb. 11 1941 H. WAYMAN ETAL' 2,231,401

DEVICE FOR ROISTING OR THF LIKE Filed 05, 20; 1939 u L INVEN TO 12.5 fim/y Way/m4 AT TOIZJNE Patented Feb. 11, 1941 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE Henry Wayman and Daniel V. Steed,

Los Angeles, Calif.

Application October 20, 1939, Serial No. 300,386

9 Claims.

This invention relates to a device whereby one or more pieces of food may be supported adjacent an open fire or other suitable source of heat for roasting, toasting, etc.; and particularly to such a device wherein the spit on which the material is impaled may be readily rotated. This device is especially useful for roasting wieners, but it is not limited to such use.

It is an object of this invention to provide such a device wherein the rotation may be readily and conveniently imparted to the spit, so that uniform cooking may be obtained; and especially by a manually operated mechanism that can be manipulated from a place remote from the spit.

It is another object of this invention to provide such a device which may be readily disassembled and arranged in compact form for convenient carrying.

It is another object of this invention to provide such a device wherein various types of spits suitable for different types of foods may be readily used.

It is still further an object of this invention to provide such a device which is simple and durable and may be economically manufactured.

This invention possesses many other advantages, and has other objects which may be made more easily apparent from a consideration of several embodiments of the invention. For this purpose there are shown a few forms in the drawing accompanying and forming part of the present specification. These forms will now be described in detail, illustrating the general principles 0f the invention; but it is to be understood that this detailed description is not to be taken in a limiting sense, since the scope of the invention is best defined by the appended claims.

.In the drawing:

Figure 1 is an isometric view of the device arranged for carrying;

Fig. 2 is a longitudinal section of the device assembled for use;

Fig. 3 is an elevation of the end portion of the device;

Figs. 4 and 5 aresections as seen on correspondingly numbered planes of Fig. 2; V

Fig. 6 shows a modified form of spit or rotary support member; and

Fig. 7 is a fragmentary longitudinal section, showing a modification of the invention.

Referring to the drawing, the device comprises a tubular body I supporting a transverse rotatable member which in turn carries the oppositely directed prongs or spits 3. These spits 3 may be fiat, to resist relative rotation of the spit and the article secured thereby. The wieners or other articles to be roasted are secured on the rotatable member 2 by being impaled on the prongs or spits 3, the points of the spits passing longitudinally of the wieners. The body I is then grasped adjacent the end remote from the spits by'the hand of the operator, and held with the wieners suitably exposed to the fire until they are sufiiciently roasted. The body I is of the order of thirty to thirty-six inches long so that the operators hands are sufficiently far from the fire; the body I is of light metallic material such as a tube, and the radiation is such that the end grasped does not become unbearably hot. As shown most clearly in Fig. 4, this tube 'may be split longitudinally, as indicated by the slot 35.

The cylindrical central portion 4 of member 2 rests in a transverse slot 5 formed in body I (see Figs. 3 and 4), whereby the portion 4 is rotatably supported by'the body I. In order to rotate member 2, a toothed wheel or pinion 6 is secured to the midportion 4 of the spit member 2. To permit insertion of the spit member 2 into slot 5, a longitudinal slot 1 to receive pinion 6 is formed in body I, intersecting slot 5 at right angles thereto and midway between its ends (see Fig. 2).

To impart rotation to the spit member 2, a ladder rack 8 is provided (Figs. 2 and 4). The sides 9 of the rack are curved to conform to the inner surface of tubular body I, and serve to confine portion 4 substantially "to the bottom of slot 5 (Fig. 4). Rack'a is shown as secured to the end of a second tubular member Ill, as by being formed as .a tongue integral therewith. This tubular member may also be longitudinally split. Member ID is guided substantially coaxiallywith body I, by means .of'the rack 8 at one end, the rack being confined between the central portion t of the spit member 2, and the inside surface of body I; and at the other end the member I0 is guided by passing through clearance aperture IS in a thimble 12 secured 45 on body I.

A suitable handle It is secured to the outer end of member ii] in any desired manner, as for example by means of an internal annular rib IS on the handle engaging a groove IS in mem- =50 her it. The resilience of member l3, permitting diametric compression, is such as to cause it to give sufficiently to permit handle M to he slid axiall into position.

From the described construction it will be clear that reciprocation of member Ill with respect to body I will impart rotation to pinion 6 and hence to spits 3. Outward movement of member ID is checked by an annular shoulder ll, engaging the inner end of thimble I2. I11- ward movement is limited by the end surface of handle I4, engaging the outer end surface of thimble I2. Thimble I2 is detachably secured on body I in any convenient manner, as for example by being provided with an inner shoulder I8 of reduced diameter which engages .a depressed ring E9 on body I. Since body I is of relatively thin, resilient material, and is provided with the longitudinal slot 35, force exerted in an axial direction on the thimble will cause body I to be diametrically compressed sufiiciently by shoulder i8 to permit shoulder IE to pass into or out of ring I9, and allow thimble l2 to be removed or replaced on body I.

Removal of thimble l2 will permit the rack to be withdrawn from engagement with the sprocketwheel 6 and member 2. This in turn allows spit member 2 to be removed from its supporting slot 5, for cleaning or other purposes. Or the spit member may be temporarily secured to the body l in parallelism thereto by means 'of clips 23, so that the device is very compact and convenient for packing or carrying (see Fig. Clips 23 are of resilient material and partly embrace body I, as shown in Fig. 5, so as to be frictionally secured thereto and have a projecting loop 2| to receive the spit member 2. In order to allow the member 2 to lie closely to body I, a transverse slot 22 is formed in the body to accommodate the pinion 6.

In placing member 2 in clips 20, the clips are slid along body I to such a position that member 2 can be laid along the body I with pinion 6 in slot 22. Clips 20 are then slid towards each other until loops 2| embrace the ends of the spits 3 as shown in Fig. 1. The frictional engagement of clips 20 on body I suffices to hold them in adjusted position.

The assembly of the device is the reverse of the disassembly just described. Clips 20 are spits 3 with the impaled articles as the roasting progresses.

Other types of spits besides the single prongs illustrated in Fig. 4 may be desirable for certain articles. Thus in Fig. 6 is shown a spit member 25 having a pair of forks each with three tynes 23, 21, 28. The middle tyne 21 may be common to both forks and pinion 6 in a manner analogous to the single prong style. Tynes 26 and 28 are joined to bar 21 by a longitudinal bar 29. Such a spit or fork is useful in toasting sliced bread, such a slice being indicated by broken lines at 30. In using this arrangement, one side of slice 33 is exposed to heat; when it is desired to see how the toasting is progressing, the member ID is manipulated to cause the fork 25 to turn the slice 30 so that side being toasted is visible. It can then be returned for further toasting, or the other side toasted, or the slice removed, as desired.

It is possible conveniently to provide more than one spit member. Thus in Fig. 7, two such members 32, 33, are shown, each of which corresponds to the member 2 of the first described form, being mounted in respective slots in the same manner. A ladder rack 34 of suitable length serves simultaneously to operate members 32 and 33, and retain them in their slots as before.

What isclaimed is: p

1. In a device of the character described, an elongated body, an elongated spit extending transversely of the body adjacent one end thereof, and means to impart rotation to the spit about its longitudinal axis, and having a part manipulatable adjacent the other end of the body.

2. In a device of the character described, a tubular body, there being a trasverse slot in the walls of the body, a spit member rotatably supported in said slot, a pinion on the spit member and within the body, there being a longitudinal slot in the body wall to accommodate the pinion, and a rack slidable within the body and engaging the pinion, said rack being disposed between the spit member and the longitudinal slot, whereby the spit member is retained in the transverse slot by the rack.

3. In a device of the character described, an elongated tubular body, a member reciprocable within said body and supported thereby, said.

member extending out of one end of said body and providing a handle by means of which the member may be reciprocated, a shaft extending transversely of said body adjacent its other end and rotatably supported by the body, the ends of said shaft forming spits, adapted to have articles of food impaled thereon, a pinion carried by the shaft within the body, and a rack carried by the reciprocable member and engaging the pinion whereby reciprocation of said member will cause rotation of the shaft.

4. In a device of the character described, a tubular body, therebeing a transverse slot in said body providing oppositely disposed openings, a rotatable member extending through the body and supported by said openings, a member slidablelongitudinally within the body and having a tongue, said tongue being adapted to confine the rotatable member in said openings as well as to impart rotation thereto.

5. In a device of the character described, a tubular body, a member rotatably supported in the body and extending transversely thereof, a

second member movable axially of said body,

means whereby said second member is effective to retain the rotatable member in the body,'and means forming an operating connection between said members whereby longitudinal motion of the second member causes the first member to rotate.

6. In a device of the character described, an elongated body, a spit member supported by the body adjacent one end thereof for rotation about .the longitudinal axis of the spit 'member', an

operating member extending through the body to the opposite end thereof, said operating member being ,reciprocable with respect to the body, and a connection between the spit memberand the operating member whereby reciprocation of the latter Will rotate the spit member.

7. In a device of the character described, a tubular body, there being a transverse slot in the walls of the body, a member extending through the-body and supported by the ends of said slot, and a second member in said body having a tongue extending across said slot, said tongue serving to retain said first mentioned member in the slot.

8. In a device of the character described, a pair of telescoping members, a spit member having an axis transverse to the longitudinal axis of said telescoping members, and rotatably supported for rotation about the spit axis by one of the telescoping members, and a mechanical connection between the other of said telescoping members and the spit member.

9. In a device of the character described, a pair of telescoping members, a spit member havmembers and the spit member, comprising a wheel mounted on said spit member and coaxial therewith, and means operated by relative telescopic movement of the other of said telescoping members for rotating said wheel.

HENRY WAYMAN. DANIEL V. STEED. 

